𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙤𝙣, 𝙐𝙆

I was weightless, travelling through time as the purple hues flashed across my vision, blinding me. The fierce wind blew my hair wildly as the warm gust touched my cheeks.

Adrenaline coursed my veins and increased the drumming within my ears, cancelling the outside noise. My stomach tightened in preparation for the freefall, somersaulting in midair. I screamed from the sheer drop, anticipating the bottom and fell back into my body as if I had never left.

I gasped, sitting up in my hospital bed in awe.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Blair said. "How do you feel?" She was wearing a black jumper dress and a belt that matched, nipping in at the waist.

"Weird, I guess." My breath was uneven as my lungs began playing catch up.

My room was an utter mess with clothes scattered on the floor, and the door handle hung loose, holding on by a thread. One knock and the metal knob would crash to the floor.

Blair cleared her throat, minding the maintenance man and his toolbox. "The door was jammed. The only way Johnathan could get in was by breaking the lock." She put her hand on my shoulder, nudging me to face her. "Erika, they found you passed out on the bed. You were out cold."

I watched the maintenance man behind Blair pick up the screws and installed them into their rightful holes. "How long was I unconscious?"

The sharp sting throbbed around my wrists, proof I wasn't going insane. I hid my hands under my sleeves, praying Blair didn't see.

She pursed her berry-coloured lips that complimented her summer glow. "Several hours. I heard the commotion from my room, and when I saw it was coming from down the hall, I went to check it out."

"I take it we missed the social gathering?" I asked and tried not to engage with the mirror, frightened that I would see her again in the reflection.

Amelia scrambled into the room, running her hand over the top of her head. "Blair, could you give me a minute alone with Erika?"

Blair nodded, looking at me reluctantly, and left.

"Johnathan is talking to your dad about the situation." Resting her hand on her hip, she scanned the state my room was in. "What happened?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I averted my gaze and kept my mouth shut, afraid of opening a can of worms if I spilt the truth.

"You can talk to me, Erika."

Can I?

The last time I talked to somebody I trusted, they didn't believe me. It would be the same situation with Cassie all over again. Only this time, Amelia would refer me to a counsellor or a psychiatric nurse.

"I want to see my dad." I picked at the skin around my nails and waited for Amelia to disappear, collapsing against my soft mattress.

"Kiddo, what happened?"

From the sound of my dad's voice, I jumped up and ran into his arms, taking in his salty-sweet aroma. "I'm scared, Dad. I thought I was safe here, but I'm not."

He kissed the crown of my head and examined me from arm's length. "Why would you say that? I mean, Johnathan and the nurses are baffled about what happened, but nobody here knows," he paused and pushed the door closed. "Shadowbrook is our little secret."

Well, it's not exactly little.

I scrunched my nose up in disgust at Dad's hideous shirt that he bought from our family trip to Gibraltar. The orange and yellow hues didn't do justice to Dad's pearl-white skin. Seeing him not in his work uniform meant he had today off from his usual duties.

"I'm getting pulled into another universe." I assumed it was another dimension where magic was permitted because of the access to portals. "And it's not Shadowbrook." As I rolled up my sleeves, Dad shook his head and steadied himself against the bed stand.

He rubbed his sullen eyes with the fleshy part of his palm. "That can't be possible. As far as I know, there is no other world." Dad trailed his finger along the circumference of the lash. "Whatever's happening in that dimension shouldn't reconstruct in our world."

The small, misshapen indents on my palms had faded, but I showed him the scratch on my knee and the welts around my wrists. "If I fall over or hurt myself, I wake up with the exact mark on my body. Tell me this isn't a coincidence."

"This is why I was afraid. You know too much." He perched on the bed with his head in his hands. "I didn't think this day would come," he muttered.

I hated seeing him distraught over something he had no control over.

"We could go on the run. Change our identities and go off the grid." Even as I said it, it sounded ridiculous. "I understand why you and Fiona have tried for years to protect me from Shadowbrook, but I need to help. I have to protect you too, Dad."

We are in this together. Ride or die.

"And what about your mother? We can't bring her into this." He turned to look at me. "I know you two haven't seen eye to eye, but she's still your mother."

Sighing, I slumped against the pillows because he was right. That was selfish to think I could leave Mum behind. Deep down, I knew the mother I loved was still there under her addiction, waiting to return.

"Dad?"

He raised his brows with acknowledgement.

"Promise me you won't leave without telling me?" Frightened that I would wake up one day and Dad was gone was an understatement. I couldn't face my mother alone; the alcohol consumed her and drove her to paranoia.

"I promise." He smiled and reached for my hand. "Oh, that reminds me. I have something for you." Dad reached into his leather shoulder bag and handed me a white Pandora box. "It's a belated birthday present from both of us. We wanted to save for something special."

"Thank you." Not able to wait any longer, I popped open the box. My heart fluttered from the sterling silver bracelet and the initial of my name hanging from the chain. "It's beautiful, Dad."

"Here, let me put it on." He delicately fastened the band, avoiding the raw welts across my wrist. His gaze flickered to his watch. "Gosh, is that the time? I need to give your mother a call to check if she attended her AA meeting." 

I nodded, inspecting my charm bracelet as he pecked me on the forehead goodbye. "I'll be right back."

The alarm beeped, notifying me that it had turned five o'clock. Dad had been gone for twenty minutes or so, and my mind started unravelling unhelpful thoughts.

What if she didn't pick up her phone and Dad went home to check on her?

What if he found Mum unconscious instead?

I walked down the corridor, passed the lounge and the treatment room and headed straight for the reception.

A fiery redhead answered calls with her telephone voice, twirling the pen in her hand. Putting the phone down, she adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. "How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for my dad. He left my room about twenty minutes ago. Did he go outside?"

The woman had duties and endless photocopying to do. She wouldn't be keeping track of the patient's family members. I was irrational, thinking the worst when Dad was right, Shadowbrook had this effect on me, and I was bringing its baggage into my life.

The receptionist shook her head. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I'll make sure to let him know that you're looking for him. Can I take your name?"

"Erika Smith. Thank you."

Walking back along the corridor, a klaxon blared down the hallway as the loud frequency vibrated through my core. I flinched from the abrupt noise, trembling from the unknown. The lights dimmed, and the beacons flashed red, alerting danger. Nurses and staff helped the patients on foot as they headed towards safety, carrying their IV stands.

I staggered down the hall, checking rooms as I went past. A part of me hoped Dad would be in one of the rooms or coming out from one of the visitor toilets.

Amelia bounced around the corner and bumped into me. "Thank God you're okay. We've got to go." She gripped my arm, steering me in the opposite direction.

"Wait." I shook her off and stood my ground. "My dad is still here. We have to find him first."

"We will look for him after I get you to safety." She nudged me forward, ushering me down the corridor. "He is probably outside waiting."

Anxiety stabbed me in the gut. A wave of acid bubbled within me as I swallowed the bile that burnt my throat. My mind spiralled out of control. I couldn't take Amelia's word that he was safe.

"Erika, slow down," Amelia said, sifting through the crowd behind me.

Screams echoed and vibrated off the walls, encouraging others to run back the way we came. The flashing beacon illuminated the splotches of red pigment on their hands and faces.

She tugged on the back of my jumper, yanking me backwards and spun me around. Her words were laced with tension. "You do not run away from me. Do you hear me?"

Seeing this side of Amelia rattled me because her oh-so-calm demeanour had changed. Something scared her.

Pulling me into the hidden alcove, she placed her trembling finger against her lips. The thunderous sound of the alarm couldn't cancel out the ear-splitting shrieks.

A figure enveloped in a black cloak towed a patient's body along the floor, leaving a trail of blood as the silhouette took long strides, showing off its grand prize.

A/N

Word Count: 1,630

Who could the figure be? And how did they find Erika?

Do you think Erika's Dad is safe, or could he be hurt?

Have a fangtastic day!

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)